# The Two Classes explained — The Way to God and How to Find It

> Chapter companion for The Way to God and How to Find It by D. L. Moody.

## What happens

Moody categorizes inquirers into two classes: the self-righteous (Pharisee) and the convicted (publican). He emphasizes the necessity of faith, which involves knowledge, assent, and appropriation, and illustrates how belief in Christ brings assurance of salvation and eternal life.

## Themes in this chapter

### Faith and Belief in Christ

Faith is defined as knowledge, assent, and appropriation, and is essential for receiving eternal life.

### Assurance of Salvation

Believers can have boldness in the day of judgment because they have passed from death to life.

### Human Inability and Divine Grace

All have sinned and fall short of God's glory, but grace is available through faith in Christ.

## Character check-ins

### Moody

Moody addresses the two classes of inquirers and shares a personal story of a self-righteous man's conviction.

### Jesus Christ

Christ is presented as the object of faith, the giver of eternal life, and the one who has conquered death.

### Paul

Paul's writings are quoted to show the universality of sin and the need for salvation.

### Maggie

Maggie's story illustrates childlike trust and recognition of the father's voice, paralleling faith in God.

### Adam

Adam is referenced to contrast the inheritance lost in Paradise with the greater inheritance of the redeemed.

## Key lines

> If a man simply give his assent to the plan of salvation, it will not save him: he must accept Christ as his Saviour.

Merely agreeing with the gospel is not enough; one must personally receive Christ as Savior.

_Moody emphasizes the need for appropriation, not just intellectual assent._

> Faith is a belief in testimony. It is not a leap in the dark, as some tell us.

Faith is trusting in evidence, not an irrational jump into uncertainty.

_Moody counters the idea that faith is blind, grounding it in the testimony of God._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_to_god_and_how_to_find_it_se/chapters/iii-the-two-classes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_to_god_and_how_to_find_it_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_to_god_and_how_to_find_it_se/chapters